Happy Camper: Review

‘Rap Lite’ is how one could describe University graduate turned Google employee turned rapper Hoodie Allen. Since 2009, Allen (real name Steven Markowitz) has been churning out the pop-rap hybrid hits that his ‘Hoodie Mob’ has lapped up. In 2012, he struck gold with EP All American, and far from his early hits sits 2016’s Happy Camper.

Opening track Intro to Anxiety has that distinctive Allen sound: a beat to nod your head along to, a featured artist with a compelling voice, and the rapper’s knack for painting an illustrious picture of his life. But on some tracks it feels as though Allen has lost his way: in Are U Having Any Fun?, Allen sounds uncharacteristically monotonous. If this is an attempt to put further emphasis on the song’s self-explanatory title, it falls flat.

However, there are enough changes in sounds and instrumentation elsewhere to keep the listener on their toes. Remind Me Of and So Close To Happiness are fun bop-along-songs, but that’s about it. With Too Invested and Surprise Party (feat. Blackbear), Allen swings wide into left field. For those used to the rapper’s normal peppy sound, these two tracks will sound a bit grating, but are worth a listen for a refreshing auto-tuned break between the generic Hoodie sounds bookending them.

25th Hour also makes for a nice change, with a single rendition of the chorus not coming in until after two straight minutes of Allen rapping.

Fans will certainly be happy campers knowing they can download the entire album for free. Allen, on the other hand, wants the title to be taken with a grain of salt. Mostly he just raps about relationships not being as they seem or once were, and there are the classic allusions to the pitfalls of fame and Allen’s desire to stay as grounded as possible. Happy Camper is old school Hoodie through and through, and fans are sure to look over its imperfections purely because of how much they love the rapper.

Don’t be mistaken by the premise he makes for easy listening; the guy can rap. He barely stops for breath in Too Invested, and spits out lines like, “And she asking me, ‘What’s the worth if you make a little money but you really ain’t happy, though? / And these other dudes around you, they be acting like they DiCaprio but they only got a cameo?’”

It’s a short track list but a nonetheless worthy output from the rapper. Compared to his earlier work, Happy Camper doesn’t carry any real hits. Ready-made fans are probably going to be the only ones listening to the album. However, if you are are looking for some feel-good Hoodie, you’ll still find it here.